The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-06-29
Two at Once.

On the night before General Blunt
attacked Marmaduke at Cape Hill, Ark,
and after a days march of twenty-seven
miles, the company in which | was then
private, says Corporal Jackson, in the
Detroit Free Press, was placed on out
post duty. We were within three or
four miles of Crane Hill and, as far as
we knew, had not yet been discovered
by the enemy. Marmaduke had strong
body of cavalry under him, and his
force was in advance of body of 1000
infantry under General Hindman.
Hindman was yet two days away when
we came up, it being Blunt's plan to
fall upon Marmaduke before he could
receive support. When we came to
be stationed for the night two men were
allowed on each outpost, and spot
where comrade and myself were sta
toned was alongside the highway lead
ing to Crane Hill, and from half to three
quarters of mile from our camp.
There was a heavy reserve picket
quarter of mile behind us, but as soon
as we had been left alone and night had
settled down we discovered that we had
a very lonely position. 1t was at
bend of the road, and just here was a
creek and morass, while the forest
about us was dense and gloomy. 1t
seemed as if every living thing known
to night had come to give us a serenade.
A big owl took position in the tree above
our heads and kept up his dismal boots
for an hour, while whip-poor-wills, frogs
and various insects added their notes.
My comrade was a burly, big German,
having little sentiment and no fear
about him, and being tired of the long
march he soon began to browse. l
pitched into him tooth and toe-nail when
/ caught him asleep, for nothing was
surer than the knowledge that Marina
duke would send scouts and spies along
our front and into our camp if he knew
of our presence. The man reused up
for awhile, but by and by sleep over
came him again, and he sat down with
his back to tree and made no further
attempt to keep awake. When | found
that no argument of mine could keep
his eyes open, my only resource was to
keep double watch, and so make sure
that the relief did not find him asleep
when it came up. l was so thoroughly
tired out that l could not have slept
even in camp. After the first hour
had passed away, and / had been accus-
toned to the noises and the loneliness,
there was nothing so very disagreeable
in the situation. My comrade had gradu-
ally fallen over, until at last he wa,
flat on the ground. sat with my back
to the tree, facing the bend in the road
and the bridge, and though the night
was without moon, could have easily
detected any one seeking to cross the
CT, hx Tho hi, hour anH
a half had passed when the silence was
like an electric shock, and l sprang up
, with my heart in my mouth. l could
. not tell from which direction it came,
and, as there had been only one cry, l
soon made myself believe that It had
been uttered by some bird or animal.
Nevertheless, my nerves were all on
edge, and the loneliness grew so oppres-
sive that l determined to arouse my
, comrade. AS l moved over to him for
this purpose my foot struck his musket,
which was leaning against the tree, and
, it fell down and was discharged. The
sharp report was followed by an " Oh!
OH" close at hand, and the sleeper at
my feet was awake and on his feet in
five seconds. We stood there, looking
, this way and that, and listening as only
: men can when peril menaces, until the
f corporal's guard came trotting up to as
> certain the cause of the firing. Then
what do you suppose we discoveredf
+ Not over twenty feet from the tree, in
/ the woods by the roadside, lay the
. bodies of two of the toughest looking
+ bushwhackers one ever saw. One was
D right behind the other, and the ounce
! ball from the musket l had knocked
' down had passed through both theil
I bodies just below the breast-bone. Eact
| had bowie-knife, and each knife was
9 stained with fresh blood, and when We
e investigated further we found that two o.
: our men had been assassinated-each be
1 ing stabbed in three or four places. You
4 may call it providence, accident, OF
whatever you will; l am only giving
you the facts in the case, and facts tina
can be sustained by scores of men still
living.-Selected